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Car interior cleaning and maintenance – a complete guide

You have to admit that cars do us a lot of work. Most of us rely on our cars. Every day they take us to work, help us in routine activities, allow us to take children to school and embrace other similar topics. With such regular consumption there is a risk that something will go wrong. Starting from spark plugs, before oil filters, varnish or upholstery; constant vigilance is a must if you want to keep your car in great condition.

While in most cases we deal with larger car work, we often skip and we are afraid that cleaning the interior of the car is not so easy. Taking into account the multitude of materials: leather, plastic, wood, vinyl and all the nooks and crannies that you need to get to, keeping the interior clean, may seem a bit overwhelming. However, due to the frequent use of the car, dust and dirt gather very quickly. Pre-emptive prevention seems to be the best medicine here. Therefore, to help you clean the interior of the car, we have prepared this short guide.

Develop a schedule

The best method of car interior maintenance and cleaning is to divide activities into several parts; every weekly cleaning, every monthly maintenance and inspection every quarter. The first part is to wipe all hard surfaces and get rid of any large garbage from the seats and parts of them. More precisely, every monthly cleaning includes polishing and preventive actions; at the end, control once a quarter, which includes all of the activities mentioned above.

Every week cleaning

Cockpit and dashboard

Cleaning the interior of the car should start with the most obvious part, and therefore the cockpit and dashboard. These elements are regularly exposed to UV rays that cause color fading, so you should pay special attention to them. Fortunately, they are not hard to care for. All you need to do is get a foam applicator, a soft microfiber cloth, interior cleaners and a WD-40 can.

Instead of spraying directly on vinyl surfaces and making everything wet, use a cloth that you spray with a suitable agent. Then clean the surfaces thoroughly, but be careful not to destroy any delicate elements.

After cleaning, wipe the surfaces with a dry cloth.

For finishing and polishing the cockpit, use WD-40 . Sprinkle the cloth with it and wipe the surface once more. It will act as a sealant and protect the cockpit from dust gathering in the future; additionally, it will also give your car the appearance of a new car.

Upholstery

Seats and rugs “fall prey to” abuse by your and your fellow passengers. Therefore, you must include them in the plan if you are considering cleaning the interior of the car. In this case you will also need a microfiber cloth, a cleaning agent suitable for the material (for the skin / fabric) and a WD-40 for stubborn stains.

Start by applying a cleaning agent on the cloth; leave to soak.

Of course, first clean the surfaces of all things that are on it, for example, plastics, papers and other accumulated dirt.

Start cleaning the seats, focus on the places where the most common are crumbs, which are most often coated; between the legs and behind the cup holders.

Pull out the car mats and shake them out of the car to get rid of loose dirt such as dust or hair. Use a brush if dirt does not want to go down.

You’ll get rid of the most stubborn stains using WD-40. Just spray the surfaces and wipe off the dirt with a dry cloth.

Doors and door frames

You can easily deal with these elements using WD-40. If there are a lot of plastic items on your door, use a toothbrush to clean them. You may also need a stronger measure, but you can leave such cleaning once a month.

First, get rid of garbage from the storage compartments. Then, apply WD-40 to a cloth and wipe the whole door. Use the right amount of agent on the door frames to make sure they will not stick.

Control once a month

Cleaning the inside of the car once a month requires you to proceed in accordance with all the steps listed above and a few additional ones.

Vacuuming

Before you start removing heavy stains, start with vacuuming. All you need is a regular home vacuum cleaner, but you need to make sure you have the right tip. The element for cleaning gaps and brush are the most important parts for cleaning hard to reach places and removing small hair, especially if you have animals that travel by car.

The narrow tip is useful for cleaning all nooks and crannies that you will not get with a rag. When cleaning rugs, remember to use more force, but to draw in all the dirt.

For more delicate places such as dashboard, cockpit, air vents, a toothbrush will be useful. At the end you can also clean them with a tiny toothbrush.

Glass inside

A good glass cleaner and a microfiber cloth that has already been tested are the things you need to use to clean the glass inside. It is better to spray a cloth and not directly the glass. Ammonia-based products can destroy colored glass, so think about if you want to use this type of product.

Get rid of the smell

To make your car smell like the day you bought it, try using an odor neutralizing agent in the form of wax or spray. Use it on all hard surfaces before wiping them, so you will feel a fresh breeze in the car even if the window is closed

Control every month

If the interior cleaning of the car is regularly carried out in accordance with the guide above, you should have nothing more to do. Now all you have to do is check the door and all buttons. Check if there are any scratches or malfunctioning buttons.